Saturday, November 7, 2009

Beyondce.

Beyonce is playing in Egypt right now, over 8 hours away from Cairo in Port Ghalib, an isolated resort that no one goes to except if Beyonce is there.

I was slightly bitter about not being able to go since it was so far away but my friend Lillie and I decided to do something just as grand. At 9 am-ish, we met up at the bus station in Shoubra in hopes of going to Dumyat and Ras el Bar, or "Head of Land." I had asked a guy working at the station which bus went to Ras el Bar but I pronounced it wrong and he asked where I was from. I told him America. He then asked me if I prayed. I said yes. His face lit up and he began yelling to everyone around him, "This guy is American AND he prays!!" He helped me find the right bus and left with a huge smile. I didn't have the heart to tell him who I prayed to.

We got onto the bus to Dumyat which was about 3 hours away north. Lillie's Egypt guidebook had a brief description of the place and mine, Lonely Planet, didn't even mention it. We weren't sure what to expect but it had a nice feel.

Pretty.

From there we took 3 microbuses to Ras el Bar (also not mentioned by my book), a small town and beach area about twenty minutes north where locals go vacationing. More importantly, it's where the Nile and the Mediterranean Sea meet.

A sign telling you which body of water is which.

We walked along the beach of the Mediterranean which was very refreshing after many weeks of walking in the streets of Cairo. We reached a lighthouse, which I assumed was a minaret (because that's was Egypt does to you). It marked where the two bodies of water met. The sun set which made for great picture taking:

What you want, Cape May.

This is so much better than Beyonce.

On the way back, we had some tea while we waited for the bus and made the journey back. It was a great day trip. Lonely Planet, take note.